Of The Found
by TheNextFolchart
Summary: Even MORE drabbles about the pairings you love, hate, and have never even considered. / Companion to "Of The Lost" by MelodyPond77 and a continuation of Silly Love Songs. Written for HPFC.
1. Green Eyes

**Green Eyes**

**Remus/Lily**

[References Build Me Up Buttercup]

* * *

_Honey you should know_

_That I could never go on without you_

_Green eyes..._

"Why did I have to fall for _her_?" Prongs moaned for about the hundredth time that day.

He was lying facedown across the bed - Moony's bed, not his own - with his feet dangling off the edge. Moony leaned against Padfoot's bed and looked down at his friend pityingly. "Prongs," he said. "There'll be other girls. . . ."

"Don't want other girls." Prongs rolled over onto his back. "Want _this _girl."

"Well, this girl has rejected you, quite literally, one hundred times," Moony said. "Prongs, mate, look at yourself. You're a mess." He knelt beside the bed and fixed Prongs' glasses, which had gone askew. "Repeat after me: _I can live without her._"

"I can live without her. But," Prongs added, "without her I'll be miserable."

Moony sighed. "Well, it's a start." He stood.

"Where're you going?"

"To talk to Lily."

"What?" Prongs sat up. "I want to come!"

Moony rolled his eyes. "You're pathetic. It's about our Transfiguration homework. We're going to practice a bit."

"I'm good at Transfiguration!"

"Yes, but if I bring you, she'll only be annoyed, and then you'll be back to pouting on my bed." He reached out to dust off his comforter. "You've put your dirty shoes all over my clean sheets!"

Prongs very deliberately planted both feet on the comforter. "Talk me up at your study session, will you?" he called as Moony stormed out.

* * *

"So I'm feeling confident in Switching Spells, but I'm really not sure about - Remus?"

Moony blinked. "Yes?"

Lily looked at him oddly. "Are you okay? You seem a bit off."

"I'm fine." And he was. He was just tired, that's all. Just staring into space.

(Not staring at Lily.)

"Okay. Well, about these - "

"Why do you hate James so much?"

Lily sighed. "So I guess the studying is over for today?"

Moony grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

She closed her book and put her wand down on the desk. "James Potter is cruel," she said. "He's mean to my friends. He laughs at the misfortune of others. And of all the times he's asked me out, he's never - not _once _- mentioned anything about me other than what I look like."

"So if he said you had a nice personality, you would - ?"

"No, I most certainly would _not_." Lily sank into a chair. "Because I _don't _have a nice personality, Remus. 'Nice personality' is something you say to people you haven't spent much time with. I'm more than just that. And if he bothered to get to know me, instead of asking me to Hogsmeade twice a day because he likes my _arse_, then maybe he'd have even the slightest chance of me saying yes."

"It's your eyes," Moony said.

"What?"

"It's your _eyes_ he likes. And with good reason. They're quite striking."

She waved away the compliment. "Eyes, arse, whatever. It's all shallow and superficial. And as I told him yesterday, when he can prove to me he's grown up, I'll gladly accompany him to Hogsmeade. Now, are we going to practice Transfiguration or not?"

Moony looked at her for a long moment. "I've known you three years, Lily," he said, "and of all the people in our year - save _maybe _for James - you're the best in Transfiguration."

She blushed slightly. "Thanks."

"You're ahead of me, even."

"Oh, Remus, that's not - "

"So I don't quite understand why you've asked me every night this week to help you practice."

Lily stopped talking.

"I'm beginning to think you keep turning down James because there's someone else."

Lily's face matched her hair. "There's no one else," she said, flipping open her book and burying her head in the pages.

"Isn't there?" He gently took the book away from her. "Lily. You don't need to be ashamed."

She wouldn't look at him. "It started in first year, I suppose," she whispered. "When you found me crying in the common room in the middle of the night. Do you remember?"

He nodded. "You were homesick."

"And you gave me chocolate. Said it starves off depression. And then you stayed up with me - all night - and it was the nicest - it was the sweetest - "

"To be fair, I _am _pretty sweet," Moony said with a wink, and she laughed.

"It's only a crush," she said. "It's not an obsession. I swear. I'm not James."

He pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Believe me, you're ten times better than James," he said, thinking of the muddy shoe prints on his bed. "But Lily, nothing can happen between us."

"Because of James?"

He shook his head. "Because I'm not right for you. It's not personal," he added quickly. "I'm not right for _anyone_. I may not seem it, but I'm broken, Lily."

She bit her lip. "I don't mind," she whispered.

He smiled slightly and shook his head. "Listen. I'll make you a deal. If you agree to take James to Hogsmeade - only _once_, and then if you hate it you never have to go again - I'll coach him beforehand. I'll tell him exactly how to act, exactly what to say. He won't mention your arse," he said with a wink. "Or your eyes."

She blinked the eyes in question. "What's in this for you?"

He shrugged. "I get to see you happy, maybe? I'll definitely get to see James happy." _And maybe he'll finally stop moping about on my bed._

Lily sighed. "If it were anyone else asking, I'd say no."

He smiled and squeezed her a little closer. "You've already said no. A hundred times. Try a _yes_, for once."

(And years later, when the officiant asked, "Do you take James Potter," that was exactly what Lily said.)

* * *

_[Disney Character Competition: Simba - write about Remus Lupin. Prompt: Eyes]_

_[Interpretation Competition: Miserable At Best, Mayday Parade. "I can live without you/but without you I'll be miserable at best"]_

_[Het-Pairings Book Camp: #005 - crush]__  
_


	2. Use Somebody

**Use Somebody**

**Katie/Lee**

[References "Can't Help Falling In Love"]

* * *

_You know that I could use somebody..._

_Someone like you..._

"Lee? Lee _Jordan?_"

The boy at the booth looked up from his butterbeer. "Katie!" He stood. "What're you doing here?"

Katie Bell inched her way through the masses of people to give Lee a one-armed hug. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Everyone's here."

"Really? I haven't seen anyone." He lowered his voice. "I'm here on _Order business_."

"Oh." She tapped the side of her nose and winked. "I won't tell anyone."

"Professor Lupin's here, too," he added, pointing at a table near the window. Their former teacher was crunched in the corner of the booth, looking miserable. "His shift's just ending."

"He looks exhausted," Katie said. "Poor thing." She motioned for Lee to slide over, and she plopped down next to him. "I can't wait until I've graduated and I can help with guard duties."

Lee laughed and draped his arm over her shoulder. "Trust me, Bell, it's not as fun as it sounds. Long shifts, late nights, and my partner's a bloody idiot."

"Who's your partner?"

Lee rolled his eyes and jutted his thumb toward the booth behind him. "Mundungus Fletcher."

Katie peeked over her shoulder, where a scraggly man dressed in rags was leaning on his table, snoring heavily. She'd seen him before, lurking around the dodgier parts of Hogsmeade. "How'd you get stuck with _him_?" she asked.

"Bill says it's a rite of passage. Everyone's been with Dung at one point or another. He's no good at any of this stuff. And he's dragging me down with him."

(Mundungus chose that opportunity to shout, "You bastards!" in his sleep.)

"At least you're out there _doing _something," Katie said. "That's got to be better than sitting in the library studying for NEWTs."

"Ah, well, you're right about that." He took a swig of butterbeer. "How's Quidditch?"

"Not the same without our favorite commentator." She nudged him.

He shrugged. "What can I say, I'm world-class."

She laughed.

"Anything else for you?" Madame Rosmerta asked, staring straight over their heads.

"I'm all right," Lee said, smirking. "A bit tired today, are we, Rosie?"

"Thank you for coming by," Rosmerta replied, and she about-faced and moved to the next table. "Anything else for you?" she asked Mundungus.

The man in rags opened one bleary eye. "Mummy?" he asked. "I didn't punch the doorman."

"Thank you for coming by," Rosmerta said absently, and then she was moving on to the next table.

"Bless her soul," Katie giggled. "Must be exhausting, working so hard all day."

"Yeah." Lee sighed. "Merlin, Katie, I've missed you."

"Really?" She grinned. "More than you've missed Angelina? More than Alicia?"

"Yeah." He took a long swig of his drink. "Although, if one of them asks, of course, I missed them more."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "I've missed you too, Jordan. And the twins, as well. D'you ever see them?"

"From time to time. They're in the Order, but they're busy with the joke shop a lot." He swallowed. "Are you - er, are you really joining the Order when you graduate?"

She nodded. "I think so. The other option is to continue with Quidditch, but flying seems awfully frivolous with the war going on. And I've spent so much time in the DA learning how to defend myself, so I sort of figured, why not?"

"Good." He exhaled. "Because the thing is, we're always supposed to go with our partners, but Mundungus is clearly an incompetent idiot, so I've been thinking - I've wanted to ask you this for ages, but there was never a really good time - but I could use somebody - someone like you - "

But at that moment, and seemingly for no reason at all, Professor Lupin jumped out of his chair, dropped a handful of knuts on the counter, and bolted out of the Three Broomsticks, knocking into their table and sending the last of the butterbeer spilling all over Katie's lap.

"Oh, no!" she cried, giggling. Lupin kept walking, showing no indication that he'd even noticed.

" - because I've had a crush on - "

"Hold that thought, Lee," she said, scooting out of the booth. "I'm going to run to the bathroom and get this cleaned up. Oh! Leanne!" She waved to a friend who had just walked in. "Leanne, come with me to the bathroom for a second?" And the girls, followed by Madame Rosmerta, who was holding a wet rag, disappeared into the bathroom.

". . . . Because I've had a crush on you for ages," Lee said to the empty booth, and then he dropped a galleon on the empty table and left the restaurant, cursing himself for not being braver.

* * *

_[100 Prompts: hug; flying]_

_[Relationship Bingo Board Challenge: C4, Unrequited Love]_

_[Disney Character Competition: Jane Porter - write about Lee Jordan. Prompt: Punch]_

_[Het Pairings Boot Camp: Punch]_


	3. You Don't Know Her Like I Do

**You Don't Know Her Like I Do**

**Neville/Hannah**

[References "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"]

* * *

_And I can't cope, it's like a death inside the family  
It's like she stole my way to breathe  
So don't try to tell me I'll stop hurting  
And don't try to tell me she ain't worth it_

_Cause you don't know her like I do  
You'll never understand  
You don't know we've been through_

"Neville?"

Neville nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around slowly, praying to _something _that the girl behind him had him confused with a different Neville, that he hadn't been recognized, not here, not like this. . . .

"Neville Longbottom?"

He exhaled. "Hannah," he said with a little nod. "Nice to see you."

"Nice to see you, too." Hannah Abbott ran down the St. Mungo's corridor to give him a hug. He stiffened at the contact and forced himself not to flinch away. It was hard to be touched. "Let me guess," she said when she'd let him go. "You're here to see Katie Bell!"

"I - erm, actually . . . yes."

Hannah nodded. "So am I. I heard she was finally awake."

"Er, yeah. Me too."

"Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were in to see her last night."

"Er, that's great. Hannah - "

"You're on the wrong floor, you know," she said. "This wing is for patients with long-term spell damage. You want the ground floor. Artifact Accidents."

"Right." Neville smiled. "Ground floor."

"Follow me, then, silly!" Hannah bounded off toward the stairwell. Neville glanced up the corridor, where a tiny sign on a certain door proclaimed that his parents were inside.

"Hannah, wait. I, erm, I'm actually not here to see Katie."

She stopped. "You aren't?"

He shook his head. "I'm here for somebody else. You can just go ahead without me, I'll catch up."

She bit her lip. "I can stay here," she offered. "If you want company."

His eyes were welling up again, and he wanted to say _no, no, no_. "Either way," he said with a half-shrug.

She moved to rejoin him, and together they walked to the last door on the left. "Who's in there?" Hannah asked, but she already knew. He could tell. Her voice was different - softer, sorrier, full of pity.

"Just some relatives," he said. "D'you mind waiting out here?"

She nodded and took a step back as he pulled open the door.

"Hullo Mum, Dad," he whispered. His father looked up when he walked in and gave him a giant smile, same as he always did. Neville used to think it was because his dad recognized him and _knew, somehow,_ who he was.

(It turned out Mr. Longbottom smiled that was at everyone.)

His mother was already standing, her hand in her pocket, crinkling a gum wrapper. Neville held out his hand, and she dropped the wrapper into his palm.

"Thanks, Mum," he said, folding the wrapper carefully and stowing it in his pocket. "How've you two been, then?"

They didn't answer. They didn't know how anymore.

"I've been okay," he said, sitting on the edge of his mother's bed. "Busy at Hogwarts. I'm in Dumledore's Army. It's run by Harry Potter, you know. Do you remember him? He wasn't famous yet, when you had your accident. But we've got the same birthday, and I think we're friends."

His mother reached out gently and touched a tear rolling down his cheek.

"He's the one who's going to stop Voldemort," Neville whispered. "For good this time."

His father sat up, that grin stretched across his face, and Neville began to wonder if it _hurt, _keeping one's mouth open so wide for so long.

(He wondered if his father smiled like that even in his sleep.)

"I've got to go now," he said. "There's someone waiting outside for me. But I - I love you." And he stumbled over the words, just as he did every time.

His mother gave him another gum wrapper.

"Thanks, Mum."

She didn't appear to hear him.

* * *

When he walked out of their room, Hannah was waiting by the door. "To Katie's, then?" Neville said dully, trying to wipe his eyes as inconspicuously as possible.

They walked toward the stairs in awkward silence until Hannah finally spoke up. "I know someone on this floor."

His breathing hitched. "You do?"

She nodded. "My brother. He's here for irreversible spell damage. Death Eaters tortured him and my Mum, earlier this year."

He felt a hundred things at once - relief, pity, empathy, _grief. _"So is that why you're all the way up here? You came to visit them?"

She swallowed. "Mum didn't . . . she's not here."

"Oh."

"And I'm sorry I lied to you, about being here for Katie. I just didn't want anyone to know. Because when people find out, they say they're sorry, and they act like they know what I've been through, but they'll never understand. They try to tell me it stops hurting. But it won't. It _never _will."

He wished he knew what to say.

"And I tell everyone - _everyone_, even my brother - that I'm okay. But I'm not. I'm _not._"

"I'm not, either," he whispered.

She reached into her pocket. "He always gives me these," she said with a teary-eyed laugh. In her hand was a Chocolate Frog wrapper. "He's got a sweet tooth - loves his sugar. The Healers say he eats all the time. And he doesn't give the wrappers to anyone else, just me. I like to think it means he recognizes me. I like to think it's his way of saying he loves me."

Neville pulled out his gum wrapper. "My Mum gives me these," he said. "And I like to think it's the same thing."

(When she slipped her hand into his, he didn't protest, and they cried into each others' shoulders until visiting hours were over.)

* * *

_[Collect A Collection Competition: Alice Longbottom (Order of the Phoenix); Word Prompt: Sugar]_

_[Fiddler on the Roof Character Challenge: Golde - write about a mother's love for her child]_

_[Female Character Challenge: Matilda Wormwood - write about someone who finds solace in someone else]_

_[Monthly Drabble-A-Thon: Okay]_

_[Opposites Attract Competition: Friendship vs **Family**]_


End file.
